Update: Here’s the link.
“The United States stepped up efforts Tuesday to evacuate U.S. citizens from Lebanon to Cyprus as complaints grew that the effort was slow getting started and appeared poorly organized,” McClatchy Newspapers reports. “Up to 1,000 more are expected to leave today for Cyprus aboard a U.S.-chartered cruise ship that docked in Beirut late Tuesday…. After criticism from Congress, the State Department dropped plans to ask Americans to pay for their rides on commercial vessels.”
Thank goodness.
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Update: Apparently Congress made a huge stink about this, and have changed it so that these people do NOT have to pay anything to be evacuated. I’m looking for a link that confirms this, which I’ll post here if I find it.
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I am a proud American. I am patriotic, and truly feel I live in the “best” country. Of course, I feel there are issues, but all in all the question becomes, would I want to live anywhere else? No.
But today, I’m ashamed of our government. Please go read This.
I’m excerpting here as well, in case it goes away as it’s in a blog format… – EMPHASIS MINE
Frontpage Headline
Lebanon Situation Update – July 15, 2006
July 15, 2006
This information is current as of today, Sat Jul 15 12:20:12 2006.A message to the American citizens in Lebanon:
The Department of State continues to work with the Department of Defense on a plan to help American citizens depart Lebanon. As of the morning of July 15, we are looking at how we might transport Americans to Cyprus. Once in Cyprus, Americans can then board commercial aircraft for onward travel. Commercial airlines provide the safest and most efficient repatriation options to final destinations.
The Department of State reminds American citizens that the U.S. government does not provide no-cost transportation but does have the authority to provide repatriation loans to those in financial need. For the portion of your trip directly handled by the U.S. Government we will ask you to sign a promissory note and we will bill you at a later date. In a subsequent message, when we have specific details about the transporation arrangments, we will inform you about the costs you will incur. We will also work with commercial aircraft to ensure that they have adequate flights to help you depart Cyprus and connect to your final destination.
The Department of State continues to work around the clock and will continue to send updates as appropriate.
In other words… We’ll get you to Cyprus, but then you’re on your own – in a different country, that you don’t have a visa to be in, and you can try to get back to the US on your own. Oh, and by the way, this whole war you didn’t know was going to happen? You have to pay us to get you out.
Students, tourists, etc? Remember there was no war. There is an American University there. I mean, people were simply traveling etc. But then war broke out – totally unexpectedly. And now, those students, tourists etc, get to try to get back to the states from Cyprus, another country than the one of origin. Oh, and they’ll need to sign a promissory note to get saved, so they can be billed later!!
It is reprehensible that our government would bill our citizens to save them from a war that has taken everyone completely by surprise. It sickens me.
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